Canadian family physician Médecin de famille canadien
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The physician-patient relationship, like any human relationship, blends two types of interactions described by philosopher Martin Buber. In an "I-It" interaction, the physician objectifies the patient and his or her problem; in an "I-Thou" interaction, the physician perceives the patient as an emotional being. My encounters with medical practitioners as a patient with brachial neuritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome illustrate these forms of the physician-patient relationship.
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Devil's club (Oplopanax horridum) is a popular medicinal plant used by Native Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest. One reported indication for using this plant is in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. ⋯ The authors performed a pilot study in which blood glucose levels were carefully monitored in an insulin-dependent diabetic patient, a newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetic, and two healthy adults while they drank devil's club tea. The limited data do not show any hypoglycemic effect of devil's club tea.
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DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN REQUIRES PHYSICIANS AND PATIENTS TO REACH AGREEMENT IN THREE KEY AREAS: the nature of the problems, the goals and priorities of treatment, and the roles of the doctor and patient. Often doctors and patients have widely divergent views in each of these areas. The process of finding a satisfactory resolution is not so much one of bargaining or negotiating but rather of moving towards a meeting of minds or finding common ground. This framework reminds physicians to incorporate patients' ideas, feelings, and expectations into treatment planning.
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Emergencies involving the respiratory tract are not uncommonly encountered in infants and young children. The spectrum of disorders causing respiratory distress varies from self-limited disorders such as bronchiolitis to potentially life-threatening conditions such as acute epiglottitis. This article outlines the clinical manifestations of some of the common respiratory emergencies presenting in infants (beyond the neonatal period) and young children, as well as strategies for management.